A dance teacher's most memorable moments!

A Dance Teacher’s Most Memorable Moments

As a dance teacher I am often asked, “What is your favorite thing about teaching?” or “What moment sticks out in your brain the most?” Those are actually very difficult questions to answer as so many things come to mind! I’ve been teaching dance for over 26 years and I know I have not even come close to experiencing it all. When dealing with children and their parents, one must always expect the unexpected! I would like to share a few of these special and memorable moments.

I believe that children are amazing and that we do not give them enough credit; they are so quick to learn new things and pick up more than we ever give them credit for. To teach them and watch how they learn to count rhythms, change formations, and develop the difficult technique that we throw at them, one can only expect that there will be a few mishaps along the way. I particularly love when the pre-dancers (toddler age classes) discuss on stage who is right and who is doing the dance incorrectly. I have watched many 3 and 4-year-olds come out of line during a performance to let their dance partner know that he or she is in the wrong spot. This is usually upsetting for the dancer who is being corrected, and therefore he or she will respond back that "No! I am right, you are wrong!” This is always a special and entertaining moment for the audience to witness.

Once, early in my career I choreographed a dance with balloons as props. I had helium balloons on strings tied to their wrists; all were the same color, as I learned early on that giving out different colors only caused major drama! The routine, costume, dancers, and concept were adorable! I did not count on the dancers getting so close and that the balloons would get tangled up. As soon as two of the dancers became tangled, several other dancers on stage tried to help "untangle" them. This of course did nothing but cause MORE of a tangled mess. Eventually almost the entire class was completely tangled and unable to move! We ended up having to escort the children off stage and re-do the number on stage with NO balloons.

Another showstopper occurred when I choreographed a Pocahontas number. All the dancers dressed up as Pocahontas and we gave them tomahawks as props to dance with. We practiced with the props every week in class and NEVER had a problem. The night of the show, however, one of the dancers realized that the tomahawk was actually a whistle! As you can imagine she broke out into her own concert, sat right down in the middle of the stage and played a tune. The other dancers loved this discovery and joined in! Even though I was mortified and felt terrible that they did not showcase all that they had learned throughout the year, they actually stole the show!

Ultimately I would have to say that with all the funny and unexpected things that come with owning a dance studio, my favorite and most memorable moments occur just spending time in class getting to know the dancers. I am honored that they allow me to be such a big part of their lives, and I love that they include me in their special moments. They experience so many exciting things that take place throughout their developmental years and the fact that they allow me to be a part of them is something I will always cherish! This year I taught four graduating seniors who have been with me since the age of 4. These girls each wrote ten things that they love about me and attached them to the back of a picture of the five of us. It was so special and so humbling to see that I had touched their lives as much as they have touched mine. I would have to say when thinking back on everything (the funny, the unexpected, the good times, and the bad) that it is awesome to know that as teachers what we do, what we teach, and how we interact with these young people will have an effect on their lives. Every time I enter the classroom I think about these things, as the dancers and I create more memorable moments to share throughout the years.